First, check out this picture Archie Kao (Archie Johnson) posted, which features the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation actor alongside Jon Wellner (Henry Andrews), David Berman (David Phillips) and Wallace Langham (David Hodges). Click to see the image full-sized:

Gary Sinise (Mac Taylor) posed with two of his CSI: New York costars, AJ Buckley (Adam Ross) and Carmine Giovinazzo (Danny Messer). Sinise also shared several images of himself with crew members dressed up for the holidays. Click to see each picture in its original size:

CSI: Miami’s Omar Miller (Walter Simmons) and CSI: NY’s Hill Harper (Dr Sheldon Hawkes) participated in the 4th Annual Manifest Your Destiny Toy Drive earlier this week, and you can find a picture of them with Nate Parker below. Click to enlarge:

Finally, check out three photos posted by Eva La Rue from the CNN Heroes ceremony, featuring herself alongside Miami costars Emily Procter (Calleigh Duquesne) and Rex Linn (Frank Tripp), as well as her husband Joe Cappuccio. Click to see the full-sized image:

Click the images to see them full-size. It is the exclusive property of CBS Broadcasting Inc. and may not be archived, leased, sold or distributed in any fashion without consent from CBS. It is released for one-time editorial use only.

"Friendly Fire"-- Delko (Adam Rodriguez) investigates when an eccentric genius is assassinated with the most unique weapon the CSIs have ever seen, on CSI: MIAMI, Sunday, Jan. 8 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

"Friendly Fire"-- Samantha (Taylor Cole, left) and Delko (Adam Rodriguez) argue over an investigation when an eccentric genius is assassinated with the most unique weapon the CSIs have ever seen, on CSI: MIAMI, Sunday, Jan. 8 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

"Friendly Fire"-- Tripp (Rex Linn, left) and Horatio (David Caruso) examine the evidence when an eccentric genius is assassinated with the most unique weapon the CSIs have ever seen, on CSI: MIAMI, Sunday, Jan. 8 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Click the images to see them full-size. It is the exclusive property of CBS Broadcasting Inc. and may not be archived, leased, sold or distributed in any fashion without consent from CBS. It is released for one-time editorial use only.

"Long Gone"-- When an entire family disappears into thin air, Horatio (David Caruso) vows to find them, dead or alive, on "CSI: MIAMI," Sunday, Dec. 4 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"Long Gone"-- When an entire family disappears into thin air, Horatio (David Caruso) vows to find them, dead or alive, on "CSI: MIAMI," Sunday, Dec. 4 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"Long Gone"-- When an entire family disappears into thin air, Horatio (David Caruso) vows to find them, dead or alive, on "CSI: MIAMI," Sunday, Dec. 4 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"Long Gone"-- Tripp (Rex Linn, top) comes to the aid of an officer (Dylan Osean, bottom) down when an entire family disappears into thin air and the CSIs vows to find them, dead or alive, on "CSI: MIAMI," Sunday, Dec. 4 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"Long Gone"-- Calleigh (Emily Procter, left) and Delko (Adam Rodriguez) must investigate when an entire family disappears into thin air and the CSIs vows to find them, dead or alive, on "CSI: MIAMI," Sunday, Dec. 4 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"Long Gone"-- Calleigh (Emily Procter, left) and Delko (Adam Rodriguez) must investigate when an entire family disappears into thin air and the CSIs vows to find them, dead or alive, on "CSI: MIAMI," Sunday, Dec. 4 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Synopsis:

Eric and Calleigh head into a mansion that is only reachable by ferry, and they find the housekeeper Andrea Edison hanging, bloodless, inside. There’s a letter written with a made-up language in the desk, and the team discovers that the language was created by the home’s owner, a vampire author named Marilyn Milner. The letter is written in blood, which traces back to Wes Rayburn. Wes says Andrea was already dead when he got there, and he thought the body was a gift from Milner. He bit her neck with his modified “vampire” teeth, but there was no blood to drink.

There are bits of cork in Andrea’s hair from a wine bottle. The chef, Lawrence Kingman, found her body and called it in, and Milner’s editor Joseph Crumbaugh told him not to stay. Crumbaugh says he took his private boat to and from the island. He was sleeping with Andrea, and he knew it would look bad if it got out that Milner’s editor was sleeping with the maid, whose dead body was found on her property.

When the team heads to Crumbaugh’s boat, they find Lawrence and the “gardener” Kenny Barnsdall writing inside. They are ghost writers, and they and Andrea have been writing Marilyn Milner’s novels for the past three years. Milner gives them storylines and general ideas, and they go from there. They pretend to be the gardener, chef and maid if anybody comes to Milner’s mansion to prevent anyone from finding out the novels are ghost written. There’s an e-mail on Andrea’s computer offering some motive: Andrea threatened to expose the ghost writing if Crumbaugh didn’t give her $100,000. He was going to pay her, but he found her dead. He took the manuscript to the printers, and when they retrieve it, they realize the murder in the novel matches Andrea’s death.

The original crime scene is a Rolls Royce Phantom, which Milner bought with the profits from her first book. She told her editor that she was in Milan, but the text she sent traces back to Miami. She doesn’t write or read her own books, and she says she wouldn’t kill the best ghost writer who made her life so easy. The book doesn’t identify the killer, and Milner says the truth is revealed in the epilogue, which is exclusive to the audio version of the book. In the book, the killer drained the victim’s blood and drank it “like wine”, leading the team to the wine collection in the house. They realize Lawrence did it. He says Andrea took credit for his ideas, and he gave her a chance to fix it—she didn’t, so he killed her. He drained her blood and hung her up like the victim in the book, hoping they’d think a crazed fan did it. However, he left eight ounces of blood in her body, and he says the blood was draining too slowly. Hemlock was found on the body, and it can slow the heart. They need to figure out how it was introduced into the bloodstream, and they discover that the poison is found on Andrea’s wrists. A bottle of perfume Milner bought for her in Milan was dosed with hemlock to kill her slowly and cover the author’s tracks.

Analysis:

Vampire novels are all the rage these days, and CSI: Miami embraces the phenomenon in time for Halloween with “By the Book”, which combines the undead bloodsuckers with a murder mystery and plenty of deceit and intrigue. At the beginning of the episode, Calleigh comments that she “hates Halloween” when they discover a young woman dead, hung by the ankles from the ceiling and drained of blood—complete with a set of “vampire” teeth marks on her neck. The murder turns out to be related to the vampire phenomenon, not specifically Halloween, but there’s another mention at the end of the episode to tie back in with Calleigh’s earlier statement. The team is getting ready to head out for dinner together, but they get a call about a new body. The killer is a “werewolf”, and Calleigh repeats herself: she hates Halloween. It’s hard to blame her, though, especially after she and Horatio chase Wes and capture the vampire enthusiast in the forest—but not before the man sinks his sharp “vampire” teeth into her arm. Horatio rushes over and, rather than secure the suspect, leans down to check on Calleigh first. It’s understandable that he would be more concerned about Calleigh’s well-being, but there’s a murder suspect standing—unrestrained—mere feet away while Horatio’s attention is focused elsewhere. Luckily, Wes is dumb enough to just climb a tree, and Horatio shoots a branch to knock him off his perch. Wes says he’s going to sue, and Horatio says, “Be my guest.” It’s kind of a silly scene, but we’re talking about a guy who thinks he’s a vampire. I have to admit, I’m surprised Calleigh’s “bite” isn’t mentioned at any point later in the episode.

There are some fun character scenes throughout the episode, and several of them include Dr Tom Loman. He’s standing next to the body with Walter and Ryan, processing the victim when the CSIs comment that they need to identify the young woman. Tom offers her name, and when Ryan asks how he knew who she was, Tom produces the ferry pass he found in her pocket. He hands it over and takes off his gloves. When he reaches for his clipboard, he loses his grip, and it slips out of his hands. Walter calls him “butter fingers”, but Tom is slightly alarmed. His hands feel tingly, and Ryan reaches for the gloves he discarded. They smell like dead mice, although Walter is curious about how Ryan knows what dead mice smell like. Ryan explains that they had a mouse trap next to the refrigerator in college, and “you never forget the smell of dead mice.” Tom remarks that hemlock smells like dead mice, and he’s trained to look for it when he’s performing autopsies because it can be fatal if it enters the bloodstream. There’s hemlock on Andrea’s body, and he came in contact with it when he took off his gloves. He says it’s probably a small dose, but he should still wash his hands—a lot.

Eric heads down to the coroner’s office a bit later to see if Tom was able to figure out how Andrea’s blood was drained, and he finds the ME washing his hands again. Eric is sure Tom survived his encounter with hemlock, but Tom would rather be safe than sorry—so he rinses his hands one last time. It’s hard to blame the coroner for wanting to be extra sure he doesn’t have any poison on his hands, but it’s a really fun moment for the character. I love Tom, so anything that shows his quirkiness is a plus in my book. His interaction with Ryan is great too. I always enjoy the prickly sort of relationship they seem to have with each other. And, of course, you can never go wrong with Ryan and Walter, whose banter and teasing are often my favorite part of an episode. Putting all three together in the mansion scene is a winning combination.

Walter and Ryan also share an amusing scene without Tom as they look around the grounds for the source of the poison. Ryan wonders why someone would put such a dangerous plant in their front yard, and Walter suggests that they might be antisocial. They are using telescoping metal pointers to search, enabling them to avoid coming in contact with the plants, and they finally locate the hemlock next to the swimming pool. Ryan remarks that the plant is “so beautiful, yet so deadly”, swinging his pointer around at Walter—prompting Walter to deflect the pointer with his own. Ryan says they need to find the gardener, and a commotion draws their attention to the man carrying firewood nearby. He identifies himself as the gardener, so Walter and Ryan share a look before telling the man in unison that he’ll be heading into the precinct with them.

Walter shares several scenes with Natalia in “By the Book”, and I really enjoy their dynamic as well. Natalia doesn’t opt for Ryan’s vaguely-immature behavior around Walter, but the pair of them still laugh and seem comfortable with each other. When they discover Lawrence and Kenny on Crumbaugh’s boat, they are surprised to learn the men are ghost writers for Milner. Kenny tells the CSIs that their identities as chef, gardener and maid were merely a “ruse” to fool any visitors who came to the mansion. Walter seems to think the word “ruse” is clever enough to confirm that these guys are authors, and Natalia gets to work searching for Andrea’s blood. She sprays luminol all over the floor at Kenny and Lawrence’s feet, and Lawrence exclaims that they’re trying to work. Natalia retorts that she’s doing the same thing. When Natalia finds Andrea’s laptop and asks for the password, the men feign ignorance. Walter turns to them and snaps, “Man, what’s the damn password?” Lawrence gives up the word quickly, and Walter offers the man a “thank you” in the same tone as Natalia grins up at him.

There are several guest stars that I recognize this week, namely Diane Farr and Orlando Jones, who play the famous vampire author and the killer who wants recognition for his work. Farr in particular seems a bit wasted in the role, only appearing a few times in the second half of the episode. Despite the lack of screentime, Farr is great as the famous author who is too busy relaxing by the pool to write her own books. When the team confronts her about poisoning Andrea with hemlock at the end of the hour, she seems to be under the impression that she’s an expert about law enforcement because she did some research for her novels and went on a few ride-alongs. She knows how cops think, she says, and while they believe that justice would be served by arresting her, they’d just be giving her inspiration for her next book. Unfortunately for Milner, that tactic doesn’t work; the police charge her with attempted murder, and she is led away in handcuffs. However, I do have to wonder why Andrea would continue to wear the perfume Milner sent her if contact with hemlock causes skin to feel tingly. If I put on perfume that made my arms tingle, the first thing I’d do is wash it off.

When a uniformed officer guides Milner through the precinct, they pass by Lawrence, who has confessed to killing Andrea and draining her blood. Lawrence tries to talk to the author, but she doesn’t seem to know who he is—as they are pulled in different directions, he calls out that he “made” her. He committed murder because he wasn’t recognized for his ghost-writing contributions to the Milner novels, and in the end, the woman still doesn’t know his name. It is odd, though, that Lawrence tries to pin the murder on a crazed fan by modeling it after a book that wasn’t publicly available at the time. As soon as the team realizes Andrea’s death parallels the latest manuscript, they are able to narrow down their suspect pool to eliminate the very people Lawrence wanted to blame. It would have made more sense for him to base the murder on an already-released book. That said, Jones does a great job in the role, skillfully portraying several facets of the character over the course of the hour: the seemingly-innocent ruse of a cook who found Andrea’s body, the confident ghost writer who seems largely unfazed by the death of a colleague, and finally the frustrated, slightly crazed man who is desperate to have his skills acknowledged.

“By the Book” ends with the team getting ready to head out for dinner before they get a new case. They invite Frank along, but he declines. He claims that he’s waiting on a case meeting, but in reality he’s too busy reading the first Milner novel after becoming interested in the series during the course of the episode. He has no idea who Milner is at first, but he finds himself engrossed in the manuscript for the latest book after he picks it up from the printer. In fact, he’s so busy reading that he doesn’t exit the elevator when the door opens, and Walter has to get his attention. When the team looks through the manuscript for clues about the murder, Frank is clearly interested in what he’s reading, and the episode ends with him smiling as he works his way through the vampire novel. Rex Linn is always fun to watch, and the mini storyline provides some great moments for his character.

See also: “By the Book” episode guide

Sources: Deadline.com here, here and here. The IMDb listing for the movie is here.

Click the images to see them full-size. It is the exclusive property of CBS Broadcasting Inc. and may not be archived, leased, sold or distributed in any fashion without consent from CBS. It is released for one-time editorial use only.

ÒBy The BookÓ -- In a deserted mansion, the CSIs find a body hanging that appears to have been killed by a vampire, on CSI: MIAMI, Sunday, Oct. 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured (L-R): Emily Procter (Calleigh Duquesne) and Adam Rodriguez (Eric Delko) Photo: Matt Kennedy/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

ÒBy The BookÓ -- In a deserted mansion, the CSIs find a body hanging that appears to have been killed by a vampire, on CSI: MIAMI, Sunday, Oct. 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured (L-R): Aria Pullman (Andrea Edison), David Caruso (Horatio Caine), Adam Rodriguez (Eric Delko) and Emily Procter (Calleigh Duquesne) Photo: Matt Kennedy/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

ÒBy The BookÓ -- In a deserted mansion, the CSIs find a body hanging that appears to have been killed by a vampire, on CSI: MIAMI, Sunday, Oct. 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured (L-R): David Caruso (Horatio Caine) Photo: Matt Kennedy/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

ÒBy The BookÓ -- In a deserted mansion, the CSIs find a body hanging that appears to have been killed by a vampire, on CSI: MIAMI, Sunday, Oct. 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured (L-R): David Caruso (Horatio Caine) and Michael Ray Escamilla (Kenny Barnsdall) Photo: Matt Kennedy/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"By The BookÓ -- In a deserted mansion, the CSIs find a body hanging that appears to have been killed by a vampire, on CSI: MIAMI, Sunday, Oct. 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured (L-R): Guest star Diane Farr (Marilyn Milner, author of a series of vampire books), David Caruso (Horatio Caine) and Rex Linn (Det. Frank Tripp) Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"By The BookÓ -- In a deserted mansion, the CSIs find a body hanging that appears to have been killed by a vampire, on CSI: MIAMI, Sunday, Oct. 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured (L-R): Rex Linn (Det. Frank Tripp) and David Caruso (Horatio Caine) Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"By The BookÓ --In a deserted mansion, the CSIs find a body hanging that appears to have been killed by a vampire, on CSI: MIAMI, Sunday, Oct. 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Guest star Diane Farr (Marilyn Milner, author of a series of vampire books) Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"By The BookÓ -- In a deserted mansion, the CSIs find a body hanging that appears to have been killed by a vampire, on CSI: MIAMI, Sunday, Oct. 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured (L-R): David Caruso (Horatio Caine), Adam Rodriguez (Eric Delko) and guest star Diane Farr (Marilyn Milner, author of a series of vampire books) Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Horatio and Natalia fight for their lives, and the team works to track down escaped serial killer Jack Toller.

Synopsis:

Horatio gets to his feet after being shot by Randy North, and he moves toward the edge of the pier and looks down into the water. Natalia is trapped in the trunk of a car that is rapidly sinking, and he has no choice but to jump in and save her. He can’t get the trunk open, but he sees the backseat shifting as she struggles inside. He pulls the door open and yanks down the seat, pulling Natalia out of the trunk. Natalia grabs Horatio and pulls him toward the surface.

At the hospital, both CSIs disobey orders and decide to leave. They don’t have any time to waste if they want to catch Randy and serial killer Jack Toller. Horatio sends Natalia with Calleigh so they can try to find Randy, and they know he’ll go after his children. Meanwhile, Horatio speaks with Secret Service Agent Renee Locklear, who says Toller found an interested buyer for the printing plates in Miami. They know they have to catch him, but time is of the essence: he’s a serial killer, and it’s only a matter of time before he takes another life.

Calleigh speaks to Randy’s son, and the little boy agrees to help them. Austin calls his father and says he ran away from his foster home, and Randy says he’ll meet him under the lifeguard tower on the beach in Sherway Park. The CSIs are waiting nearby and take Randy down. Horatio and Natalia confront him in interrogation, and they want Toller. During the time they shared a jail cell, Toller told Randy that he was going to make a deal with someone who pulls ATM heists. Horatio worked the heist case last year, so he comes up with a name: Leo Kendry. They can find this man by going after a known associate, Ricky Galindo.

Meanwhile, Toller makes a deal with Leo for $180,000 for the plates, but he wants a bonus: a woman sitting nearby named Melanie Garland. Leo makes the deal, and Toller drags the girl away. Frank and Walter pull over Ricky Galindo, and Walter finds a Garra rufa fish on the floorboard. This leads the team to a spa, and they find Leo and the plates—but now they know there’s a potential victim in Toller’s custody.

The car Toller is driving is acting up, so he sends Melanie into a gas station to get a bottle of radiator fluid and a pack of cigarettes. She hands the man behind the counter a hundred dollar bill, and he figures out that something is wrong. She says Toller will kill her, so the man lets her go and immediately calls the police. When they look at the surveillance footage, they see Melanie steal a disposable cellphone. They are able to track the phone, and they realize Toller has been calling Randy over and over again. They tell Randy to call Toller back, but the man already knows what Toller is after: a necklace that fell out of his pocket when they were in prison. He still has the necklace, and they set up a meeting at a rail yard. Toller realizes that Randy is being followed, and he makes a run for it as a train cuts the team off from pursuing him.

Walter and Calleigh look through evidence from Toller’s original case to find something to help them locate Melanie. His clothes were never tested, and they discover that the chemical composition of the soot on his clothing leads back to a landfill. Toller incinerated his first three victims in a landfill, and he’s going to do it again. Toller puts his mother’s necklace around Melanie’s neck, and he forces her to repeat his mother’s words from when he was a child: “Jack, I’m ashamed of you.” Toller flashes back to his childhood, when his mother verbally abused him and burned him with cigarettes. He has been killing women because he can do to them what he couldn’t do to his own mother. The team arrives just before Toller lights Melanie on fire, and he throws down his lighter to distract them while he runs away. They save the woman, and Horatio takes off after Toller. He’s able to take the killer down eventually, and Eric arrests him.

Analysis:

“Countermeasures” is an action-packed episode. There’s no doubt that the team will bring down the bad guys and save the girl—this is, after all, CSI: Miami—but it’s an exciting storyline filled with suspense. Horatio’s health is also a big question mark throughout the hour, after he disobeys his doctor’s orders and leaves the hospital despite being shot by Randy North. The wound was caused by a bullet fragment that ricocheted and hit Horatio. There’s never really any worry that the show’s leading man will die, but he’s definitely looking worse for wear throughout the episode. I found myself wondering if he would collapse at the wrong time and lose the upper hand—or lose Toller. In the end, Horatio is able to stay strong enough to keep going until they finally catch Toller, at which point he finally lets himself collapse. It’s unrealistic for him to spend the whole episode in the thick of the investigation after sustaining such an injury, but Horatio Caine never misses the action.

Throughout the episode, Horatio sees visions of his dead wife Marisol. The episode opens with one of these visions, in which Horatio arrives at a restaurant and sits at a table with her. They have missed each other, and they don’t want to waste another moment. Eventually, Horatio looks down and realizes he’s shot, and he starts to remember what’s happening. Marisol tells him he has to get up and leave, but he’s reluctant. When he looks up to see his wife replaced by Natalia, soaking wet and begging for help, he finally drags himself out of this vision and back to the painful reality. He sees Marisol walking away from him multiple times throughout the episode, and at one point he crawls into his car and pulls out a photo of them. It’s a poignant scene, seeing him in such agony and knowing he’s determined to catch Toller. When he kisses the photo, you know it would be easier—and perhaps more desirable—for Horatio to just let go and be with his wife. He holds on for the sake of his team and the safety of his city, and it drives home how much pressure Horatio puts on himself to be Miami’s protector.

Horatio has seemed like a comic book hero for quite some time, but “Countermeasures” really emphasizes his humanity. He’s not invincible, but he’s a fighter. He spends most of the episode trying not to collapse, and the pain is written all over his face and his trembling arms. David Caruso does a great job of showing his character’s vulnerability and determination. It’s a relief when Toller is finally caught and you know Horatio can get some help. It’s a bit surprising that he isn’t taken to the hospital immediately after collapsing at the landfill, but I like the final scene with Agent Locklear. She hasn’t known Horatio for long, so she asks about the name he kept repeating in the ambulance: Marisol. He tells her the truth, and he tells her about seeing visions of her after being shot—something he didn’t tell anyone on his team. She says she’s glad he listened to her and came back, but it’s clear that he doesn’t necessarily agree. She asks if he’s going to be okay, and he finally admits that no, he isn’t. She helps him into a car and (presumably) drives him to a hospital. Hopefully now he can recuperate from his wounds and be back to his old self soon.

Horatio isn’t the only one recovering from a near-death experience in “Countermeasures”. Natalia is clearly affected by her close call in the trunk of the car, and she fights her way off of the hospital bed to go after a man she thinks is Randy North. When she actually gets in the interrogation room with him later, she loses her cool and slams his head onto the table. She tried to help this man, and he betrayed her and tried to kill her. Horatio has to pull her back when she attacks Randy, but it’s hard to blame her. She’s still scared, and her nerves are on edge. The scene with Ryan in the locker room just before this is really great. Ryan asks if she’s okay, and she admits that she can’t stop thinking about being trapped in the trunk of that car. Ryan sits beside her and reminds her of the time he got shot in the eye with a nail gun in the season four episode “Nailed”. After that, he was afraid to open a door or head into a crime scene because he knew something else could happen at any moment. Natalia helped him move on from that experience, and he repeats what she told him in the past so he can help her in return. He tells her she’s going to be okay. It’s a really nice moment between them, and I love when the show features the close bond between the members of this team. Natalia and Ryan have become two of my favorite characters, and it’s great to see him share this scene with her.

In the locker room scene, Natalia points out that she has had a lot of close calls this year. As I mentioned in my review for last season’s finale, “Mayday”, Natalia has been kidnapped and victimized multiple times over the past season. It was frustrating to see her kidnapped again in “Mayday” and trapped until Horatio could swim down to rescue her, but it’s nice to see her get out of the car in the premiere and immediately rescue him in return. She’s shaken throughout the episode, but she doesn’t give up. At the end of “Countermeasures”, she’s at the shooting range, and I wonder if that scene is an indication of her state of mind this season. According to Co-Executive Producer Barry O’Brien, this whole experience will have a “profound impact” on Natalia. She needs to regain her balance and confidence after what happened, and time will tell if speaking with Ryan and confronting Randy will be enough to make that happen. Whatever happens, I hope we’ve seen the last of Natalia being victimized for a while.

Calleigh has her own storyline this week, and it feels like the start of something bigger. She speaks with Randy North’s son Austin and convinces him to help catch his dad so no one else gets hurt. The boy feels a connection with her, and she promises him they’ll do what they can to make sure he and his sister are kept in the same family. At the end of the episode, she reveals that they found a great family who will take both children in, but he wonders if he can choose someone else. He was hoping he and his sister could stay with Calleigh, and Calleigh is clearly moved by this. He says it was stupid to wish for that, but Calleigh disagrees. She’s honored that he would want to stay with her, but she knows she isn’t prepared to be a parent right now. Her job takes too much of her time and energy, and Austin and his sister deserve more than that. Although she can’t take care of them, she promises that she will come visit them and keep up with the children no matter where they go. Austin is pleased with this, and it’s clear that Calleigh plans to keep her promise. In addition to his comments about the impact the premiere has on Natalia, O’Brien also said that Calleigh will look toward her future and think about starting a family during season ten.

Frank and Walter have a great scene this week when they pull over Leo’s associate Ricky Galindo. They are looking for answers, but Ricky is just being cocky. Walter finds a fish smashed into the floor mat, and he holds it up to show Frank and Ricky. Ricky claims it could be from anywhere, but Walter recognizes the fish and knows that isn’t true. Frank doesn’t know how a sardine is going to help them find Leo, but Walter corrects him: this is a Garra rufa fish. Frank sarcastically calls Walter “Jacques Cousteau” and asks for an explanation. Walter knows these fish are used in high-end pedicures, and his knowledge guides them to Leo and the printing plates. I’m not sure why Walter is so knowledgeable about the Garra rufa fish, or its use in pedicures, but now I’m picturing him in that fancy spa—that’s a scene I’d love to see! Rex Linn and Omar Miller are gems, and all of their scenes on the show are pitch-perfect. Between “Mayday” and now “Consequences”, I hope this is a sign that these two will share plenty of quick, snarky scenes during the coming season.

Overall, “Countermeasures” is an exciting way to start the season, and the actors put in great performances bringing the characters to life. The episode sets several storylines in motion, dealing with Horatio’s lost love, Natalia’s recovery after her latest attack and Calleigh’s desire to find fulfillment away from the lab. I can’t wait to see what else season ten has to offer for character development, not to mention the thrilling cases that have become a hallmark of the series. CSI: Miami is back and raring to go!

See also: “Countermeasures” episode guide.

First, here are some images from the set of CSI, courtesy of director Jeffrey Hunt. They include Elisabeth Harnois (Morgan Brody), Eric Szmanda (Greg Sanders) and guest star Vanessa Marano:

Next, check out two New York pics. The first was posted by upcoming guest star Scott Lowell; the second features a house being built on a back lot, and it was posted by set designer Will Batts (please note that this house may or may not appear on CSI:NY):

Finally, here are pictures of Eva La Rue (Natalia Boa Vista) and Rex Linn (Frank Tripp) doing interviews for E!: